Obama, who garnered 71 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2012, described his hopes for comprehensive immigration reform in the fifth State of the Union address of his presidency as House Republicans prepared for a rare three-day retreat to discuss possible compromises on the contentious issue.

"If we are serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, and law enforcement - and fix our broken immigration system," Obama said.

The president appeared to shift the rationale for an overhaul from fairness and family unity to concrete economic payoffs. Revamping the system will boost the economy and shrink federal deficits by almost $1 trillion over the next 20 years by attracting business and creating jobs, he insisted.

That carefully balanced deal would provide a 13-year path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants in response to Democratic priorities, and a $40 billion, 10-year buildup in border security featuring 700 miles of additional fencing and 20,000 additional Border Patrol agents in response to Republican concerns.

House Republicans will devote their getaway on Maryland's Eastern Shore to weighing action heading into the midterm elections in November, explained House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

The GOP plan would offer a middle ground by offering a pathway to citizenship for children of unlawful immigrants brought to the U.S. by their parents while providing legal status short of citizenship to the parents.

"Once we talk to our members, we'll have more to say about how we move forward," Boehner said Tuesday.

Ryan: 'Make amends'

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., chair of the House Republican Conference, used the GOP response to Obama's address to note that her party was "working on a step-by-step solution to immigration reform."

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., chairman of the House Budget Committee and the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2012, forecast House action. Republicans might back a measure requiring unlawful immigrants to "make amends" to obtain lawful status, Ryan said, adding: "I think there is a way of doing it where a person can earn legal status."

Some Democrats faulted the GOP delay but welcomed possible compromise. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, whose district reaches San Antonio, remained skeptical about the promise of House action, but added: "Hopefully, (Boehner's) too little, too late announcement signals some willingness to move forward."

Economic reasons

White House officials had telegraphed receptivity to the piecemeal approach by the House in remarks to reporters on Monday.

"I think it is fair for you to suggest that is a process the White House is watching carefully and leaves us cautiously optimistic about opportunities to make progress on this issue over the course of this year," said a senior White House official speaking on condition of anonymity.

The movement in the House stems in part from reliable GOP constituencies such as the Chamber of Commerce and some high-tech firms lobbying for a bipartisan overhaul for economic reasons.

The Senate compromise would hike the number of high tech H-1B visas from 65,000 a year to 115,000 en route to an eventual cap of 180,000. The Senate measure also would create a new pathway for legal entry for up to 75,000 low-skilled workers a year who qualify for a so-called "W" visa to work legally in the United States.

"There are important economic consequences for passing immigration reform, from expanding economic opportunity to creating jobs, to reducing the deficit," said the administration official, who spoke with reporters before Obama's address.

Boehner's apparent readiness to begin moving immigration legislation through the House barely nine months before the midterm congressional elections stirred resistance from some conservatives, including the tea party movement.

Many Republicans insist any pathway to citizenship constitutes unwarranted "amnesty" for immigrants who entered the country illegally.

"Don't do it," warned an editorial in the National Review on Monday. "The last thing the party needs is a brutal intramural fight when it has been dealt a winning hand" with the troubled implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Cruz, Smith critical

Obama's appeal for immigration reform Tuesday night also drew criticism from Texas Republicans such as Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Lamar Smith, of San Antonio.

The president's version of comprehensive immigration reform is "more designed to try to achieve partisan advantage in 2014 and 2016 than to actually solve our broken immigration system," declared Cruz, the Lone Star State's freshman senator.

"We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but celebrates legal immigration," Cruz said.

Smith, a member of the House leadership and a former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, dubbed Obama's immigration policies "anti-American since they help non-citizens but hurt U.S. citizens."